Former racer and ex-Formula 1 steward Johnny Herbert has voiced his opinion on the incident between Max Verstappen and George Russell during the Spanish Grand Prix. The four-time world champion lamented several strategic errors made by his team, which led him to defend his fourth place against the British driver. Ultimately, he deliberately accelerated to force Russell off the racing line. According to Herbert, Verstappen should have been disqualified for this action.
“Max Verstappen deserved a black flag and should have been disqualified,” Herbert asserted. “There comes a time when you have to take a firm stand against a driver, especially when these kinds of incidents keep recurring. Verstappen is the best driver on the grid, with the best racing insight and the most skills — but there are always negative stories surrounding him.”
“Unfortunately, with Verstappen, it’s too often about racing incidents,” Herbert continued. The Brit has previously expressed criticism of the Red Bull driver. According to him, this is not a personal vendetta, but a result of repeated and unnecessary misconduct. “It was clear that Verstappen’s action against George Russell was deliberate,” he explained. “He veered off in the right turn, which allowed him to initiate an attack and regain his position by colliding with Russell. In my opinion, that’s going too far.”
‘Verstappen Doesn’t Need These Kind of Maneuvers’
“The stewards and race direction could have waved the black flag,” suggested Herbert as a possible penalty. Commentator Nico Rosberg also advocated for disqualification during his live commentary. “We need to move away from these types of races where collisions are tolerated,” Herbert continued. “In this way, it seems like everyone is allowed to deliberately crash into each other. I always considered myself a clean driver, and Verstappen can be that too — but that move in Spain went too far,” Herbert emphasized. “You don’t just give a time penalty for that. You treat it as something much more serious than a standard racing incident.”
The incident was in stark contrast to Verstappen’s impressive performance in Emilia-Romagna, at the start of the European triple header. Then, he took the lead from Oscar Piastri in a masterful way. “Then, Verstappen gave me a real wow feeling,” Herbert concluded. “But those actions in Spain immediately undermine that feeling. It’s frustrating. I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep repeating it until I drop; he really doesn’t need to make these kind of maneuvers.”
